Wildcard Watch: Breaking Down the NFL Playoff Picture

Week 13 in the NFL season has come and gone. With only 5 weeks of regular season football before Wild Card Weekend, I’m going to give you my humble opinion for what the bracket will look like.

Starting in the AFC…

The one seed will be the Kansas City Chiefs. I don’t like it as much as the next guy, but this is almost a no-brainer. Looking forward at the schedule, I don’t see a team that poses real competition. The only way the Chiefs don’t lock up the division will be because they beat themselves. They’ve been in some scary games, but they always find a way to win.

The Bills will be the second seed. They could get the bye as they have the tiebreak over the Chiefs but with the Lions ahead, it will make things much more difficult. They’ve clinched the East but that was a matter of time for majority of the season. I hope they can overtake the Chiefs to get home field because a championship game in Buffalo would be electric.

For our third division winner, give me the Ravens. This will come down to a matchup with the Steelers in week 16. After dropping the first meeting, the odds may be in Pittsburgh’s favour, but I like Lamar at home. Derrick has been a man on a mission and given the remaining schedule for each respective side, I see the Ravens hosting their first playoff game.

The South will be represented by Texas. The Texans seem to be doing everything in their power for this not to happen. Working in their favour is playing in the South. Stroud’s sophomore slump is real and losing Al-Shaair for the next three weeks stings, but they’ve got too good of a roster to skid to the finish line. With two very winnable games left and the tiebreak over the Colts, I think this is a safe bet.

The Steelers will be the best of the rest. It almost feels wrong moving them down, but I’ve been a hater since week one so for lack of a better term, “Broncos Country, Let’s Ride.” Coach Tomlin always has his teams prepared, but in the next 5 weeks they’ve got a daunting schedule. Host the Browns, at the Eagles and Ravens. Host the Chiefs and Bengals. They very well could make me eat my shorts, but I believe they’ll hit a breaking point.

LA will be represented this year by the Chargers. Like brother like… brother, I guess. Jim has been on a run. Finish last year with a National Championship and now, lead a team with average expectations into the playoffs. Herbert has looked rejuvenated with a new cast around him. The commitment to the run game and defence has worked. Now get the popcorn ready for the playoff edition of the Harbaugh Bowl.

Sliding into the seventh and final position is, the BRONCOS!? Between becoming an honorary Broncos fan and actually being a Texans fan, this is probably what you’d call a homer pick. But this is my blog, and these are my picks so eat it up Colts fans. The Broncos slip in and I’m not even going to plead a case.

Let’s kick it to the NFC…

I have the Eagles finishing with the bye. They have some stiff competition ahead but no one I’d bet over them. Derrick was mentioned earlier, well how about Saquon! The pressure is off from their division as they’ve spaced themselves out for the final run. I see this team playing free and having fun while steamrolling teams into the playoffs.

The Lions might be my Super Bowl pick but to steal a line from Coach Campbell. They’ve got to get kicked in the teeth. Just to remind them what losing feels like. They haven’t lost since week two, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they win out either. I’m worried about how undisciplined they can be come playoff time and I’m not sure if that lesson is taught by winning out.

*For it to land Eagles 1 and Lions 2. We have to land an overall record tie and hurdle a mirror division record. But once that happens the Eagles hold the advantage in strength of schedule, making this very improbable possibility very much possible. *

Let us put the Bucs third. They are in this position because they play in the South too. As it stands right now the Bucs and the Falcons both sit at 6-6. Looking forward to schedules, the Bucs’ is easier, one win easier the rest of the way I’d guess. The tiebreaker is in favour of the Falcons, but they are losing their footing. Baker has that dawg in him, this is his chance to show everyone again.

We will call the Cardinals the last division winner. This pick balances their meeting with the Seahawks this coming week. Say that goes in our favour, I see the Cards winning the race with the Hawks. As I see it the Rams don’t have it this year. The fact this division isn’t being ran by the 49ers is the most surprising part to me. What do you do as John Lynch? Whoever ends up winning the West will have their hands full with the next pick.

The big bad Vikings come in as the nightmare fuel for the Cards. Darnold has played unbelievable, not well enough to take the job from McCarthy but well enough to get a look elsewhere, hopefully. Coach O’Connell will always have a competitive team with how he runs the program. This is besides all the weapons they have. The only the issue right now is the Lions.

Lambeau won’t see playoff action this year, but the Packers will play on the road. The team is young, hungry and fearless. It’s the perfect mix to cause problems for any opponent. They’ve done that all year but again the Lions and the Vikings too, are their enemy this season. Come playoff time that could be what finish’s them or maybe they exercise a demon. But I like this team to be a dark horse for a long run.

The Bears are the only team from the North to miss playoffs because Jayden Daniels and the Commanders are getting that playoff birth. A bye week coming before the final four games on their schedule is exactly what they need to regroup after a gruelling 13 weeks straight. I figure they are still a year or two away from making noise, but they play the games for a reason. Ether way, this experience is priceless moving forward.

For fun, we’re jumping straight to the Super Bowl. My prediction is in New Orleans we will see the Bills and the Lions. Let’s take the Lions and Goff winning 24-21.

But for real… the Chiefs by a smidge less than the spread probably?

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